City spends almost $100K on mayor's golf tournament, gala

Community sponsorships and donations

It appears Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell’s Gala and Classic Golf tournament have become two of the preferred events for city staff to woo investors and network with arts and recreation representatives.
They have spent close to $100,000 in the past eight years on gala tickets and golf foursomes, according to figures councillors requested from staff during budget deliberations, and city staff say it has all been done according to approved policy.
The requested numbers show councillors themselves spent an additional $66,000 over that eight year period— between 2005 and 2012— on tickets allowing them to personally attend the two events, bringing the total to $164,798.
Attendance peaked in 2009, when six tables of eight were purchased at the Mayor's Gala at a cost of $22,500. It is unclear how many were purchased by councillors, how many by staff, but four tickets were charged to the fire department administration, eight for "Theatre Presenting Activity" under Community Services department, and only one by the economic development department. In subsequent years, no more than three tables have been occupied by city representatives at the Gala.
What councillors failed to ask for last month, but The Guardian has since obtained, is information that reveals $164,798 is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the amount council members and staff spend annually on donations to dozens of groups and organizations— mostly of their own individual choosing.
The mayor’s two events account for 9.7 per cent of the $1.7 million total spent by politicians and staff between 2005 and 2012.
Last year alone, $226,944 in community donations and sponsorships were made by both council and staff.
That money was paid out for tickets to award dinners and lunches, fundraisers, golf tournaments, shows and events, and straight cash donations to a long and varied list of charities, community groups, and constituents.
“These figures represent a long legacy by the city to support the community on a corporate, departmental and council basis,” said city spokesperson Gordon Smith after responding to the Guardian’s request for a list of all donations made.
Fennell told The Guardian that, of all the events the city pays to attend, the Gala is the only one that “writes a cheque back to the city”. She also said she stands by her assertion that no taxpayers’ dollars are spent organizing it.
“There are no property taxpayer dollars used by Stepping Out For Brampton Inc. to put on the Gala,” she said. “The organization has, since day one, presented this event, independent of table sales and/or ticket revenues.”
In the past eight years, the Mayor’s Gala has given more than $200,000 back to the city— specifically the Rose Theatre— in licence fees, ticket purchases and donated instruments, according to a staff report. Every year since 2009, the Gala pays the city $40,000 annually for use of the Rose Theatre suite, including $15,000 for tickets that are then donated back to community groups, Fennell said.
Smith said staff accompany business representatives and those from the arts and community services fields to the dinners and golf tournaments for the purposes of “community building and making connections in the city.”
At $4,520 for a Gala table of eight and $2,825 for a golf foursome including dinner at the Mayor’s Golf Classic, they are the costliest events in the city to attend, and the Gala is arguably the swankiest.
“It being the mayor’s Gala, it’s something that has prominence,” Smith said in explaining why staff would choose to purchase one table each at some of the other fundraising dinners, but two at the mayor’s last year.
He said all council-approved city policies have been followed in the donations and purchases made for attendance at all of the events.
However, he could offer no details on why seven community services staff members are noted on the fact sheets as attending the 2010 Golf Classic at a total cost of $2,000, or specifically why a $600 single golf ticket was purchased by the fire department three years in a row— 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Last year, three tables of eight were purchased by the city at the mayor’s event— one by councillors and one for Air Canada employees as a welcome-to-the-city in recognition of the airline’s move here. Three foursome’s were purchased for the Mayor’s Golf Classic, including one by councillors.
For councillors, the money comes out of their own expense accounts and a special fund they budget $41,000 for each year.
However, council decided last month to cut that fund from the 2013 budget. The accompanying Business and Community Lunch and Dinner Event Sponsor Program has been sent back to staff for review.
Under the program, councillors approved a list of approximately 15 galas, golf tournaments and recognition lunches/dinners they wanted to attend. The mayor’s two events were among those approved by council, along with dinners and galas run by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel, Brampton Safe City, Brampton Board of Trade, United Achievers, Brampton Arts Council, Crime Stoppers, the Sports Hall of Fame, William Osler Health Centre Foundation, Brampton and Area Community Foundation, and others.
Each politician could attend any of the 15 they chose, using the money from the fund to buy one ticket for a luncheon, or two for a dinner. It’s a practice councillors have been following for more than 10 years now, with a revision to the policy in 2005. Part of the reason is to maintain a city presence at community events, and council has been in favour of spending money to do just that.
Councillors and the mayor are also free to attend any events not included on the list, but must pay out of their own expense accounts, and last year, politicians spent an additional total of $83,600, while at the same time going approximately $2,000 over budget on the special account. Councillors spent between $3,300 and $8,800 each. The mayor spent $23,400.
As for staff purchases of dinner tickets and golf foursomes, that continues to be left up to the discretion of the “department heads” who are also guided by a policy, but not restricted by a list of “approved” events. The Economic Development Office and Community Services Department are the two main departments making the purchases, although a city-wide non-departmental fund for community projects is used the most. All are approved by a commissioner, according to the city.